St. Padre Pio

“Lord, what is man, that you notice him; the son of man, that you take thought of him?” Psalm 144:3

Today, September 23, is the Feast Day of one of my favorite saints, Padre Pio. My mom loved telling stories about Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. She would always ask him to intercede. One time my father was in the hospital, in great pain because of gallstones. She laid her hands on him, asking for Padre Pio’s intercession. My father is Methodist and didn’t believe in asking for saints to pray for us, but he was instantly relieved of his pain. So he asked my mom to continue to lay her hands on him. 

Another reason why Padre Pio is a favorite of mine is because he is no typical saint. 

He is not a saint who exhibited patience. On the contrary, Padre Pio had an awful temper. In spite of that, he was beatified in 1999 and canonized in 2002. From the age of 5, he knew he wanted to dedicate his life to serving God. At the young age of 15, he entered the noviciate of the Capuchin friars at Morcone. 

Padre Pio said, “The person who meditates and turns his mind to God, who is the mirror of his soul, seeks to know his faults, tries to correct them, moderates his impulses, and puts his conscience in order." Here we see this holy man’s advice to us who easily lose patience. We need to recognize our faults, try to correct them and moderate our impulses. Padre Pio also suggested weekly confession. Just as a regular cleaning of our homes is necessary, so too we should see what unnecessary baggage we carry in our souls. I am sure Padre Pio also experienced disappointment in himself, and that’s why he always said to his visitors, “Pray, hope and don’t worry.” 

Lord, thank You for the example of Your saints. They were not perfect but they lived their lives for You. May we too never give up striving to live holy lives, going back to You and drinking from the living water of  Your Spirit.